Associated Lattice and Electronic Structural Evolutions in Compressed Multilayer ReS₂.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) like ReS2 exhibit promising quantum yields for optoelectronic applications.
• External stimuli, such as pressure, can modify the atomic structure and electronic properties of TMDs.
• Understanding pressure-induced structural and electronic changes is crucial for material design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically investigate the lattice and electronic structural evolution of multilayer ReS2 under compression.
• To elucidate the relationship between lattice variations and electronic band structure changes.
• To compare the high-pressure behavior of ReS2 with other TMDs like MoS2 to understand interlayer coupling effects.

Main Methods:

• High-pressure Raman spectroscopy.
• First-principles calculations.
• High-pressure photoluminescence (PL) measurements.

Main Results:

• Observed intralayer and interlayer phase transitions in compressed ReS2.
• Identified a transition from an indirect to another indirect bandgap at 2.7 GPa, confirmed by PL and calculations.
• Demonstrated that interlayer coupling is critical for lattice and electronic structure in compressed TMDs, evidenced by comparing ReS2 and MoS2.

Conclusions:

• Pressure-induced phase transitions in ReS2 lead to significant modifications in its electronic band structure.
• The study highlights the critical role of interlayer coupling in determining the optoelectronic properties of compressed TMDs.
• Findings suggest potential applications of ReS2 in fabricating stacking devices with tunable optoelectronic properties.